Adjustable joist gripper

ABSTRACT

A carpentry tool for the installation of parallel boards includes an elongated lever having a rotatable cam pivotally affixed adjacent to a distal end of the lever, a gripper body pivotally affixed at a distal end of the lever, the gripper body having two lugs or brackets extending downward from the lower end of the gripper body, wherein the gripper body includes a two-piece telescopic section having an outer tubing member and an inner tubing member in slidable engagement, the inner tubing member including a first lug or bracket on a lower face thereof, the outer tubing member including a second lug or bracket on a lower face thereof, opposing the first bracket, and a spindle extending from an upper face thereof, and a mechanism for reversibly affixing the sliding inner and outer tubing members at predetermined points. Further disclosed are novel adjustable joist grippers for use with the apparatus.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims an invention which was disclosed in ProvisionalApplication No. 60/565,619, filed Apr. 27, 2004, entitled “IMPROVEDRESCUE TOOLS”. The benefit under 35 USC § 119(e) of the United Statesprovisional application is hereby claimed, and the aforementionedprovisional application is hereby incorporated herein by reference inits entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention pertains generally to the field of carpentry tools. Moreparticularly, the invention pertains to apparatus and methods forgripping a floor joist or wall stud and forcing abutting edges ofparallel boards into contact with one another, such as duringinstallation or repair of tongue-and-groove type flooring or otherparallel boards over a frame, joist or stud.

2. Description of Related Art

Wooden flooring is usually supplied as boards having tongue-and-grooveedges, such that the floor is laid over a subfloor by placing the boardsnext to each other, forcing the tongue on the edge of one board into themating groove of the next, and nailing the boards in place through theedge, so that the nails are invisible when the next board is installed.Forcing the tongues into the grooves requires a fair amount of force,and the boards must be held tightly together as the nails are driven. Inother applications, such as wherein no subflooring is used, parallelboards must be forced and held together prior to and during nailing.

Traditionally the installation and repair of wooden flooring and otherparallel boards has required two carpenters. To assure a tight fitbetween the individual pieces of flooring the first carpenter forces theflooring being installed or repaired into proper position, while thesecond carpenter securely fastens the flooring being held to thesubfloor, or fastens the parallel boards to a floor joist or wall stud,for example. To insure that the boards are held tightly together, it hasgenerally been the case that nails are driven into the flooring,typically used at an angle, so that as the nail engages with thesubfloor or joist, the individual boards are driven laterally into atighter abutment with the board previously put in place. In this mannerthe flooring or wall is constructed, one piece at a time, graduallybeing laid from the base of a starting wall towards the base of anending wall where the last piece will be put in place.

A number of devices have been developed in the past to aid in theinstallation of flooring and other parallel boards, but they have had anumber of deficiencies which make them difficult to use.

Examples of prior art flooring clamps or jacks include Parrish, “FLOORCLAMP” U.S. Pat. No. 10,061, issued in 1853; Foster, “FLOOR-CLAMPS”,U.S. Pat. No. 136,428, issued in 1873; or Lassahn, “CLAMPING DEVICE FORCONSTRUCTING FLOORING, DECKING AND THE LIKE”, issued in 1964. All ofthese devices force the flooring into alignment using screw (Parrish),rack-and-pinion (Foster) or hydraulic (Lassahn) force exerted againstthe floor joists. Obviously, this would not work if the floor is beinginstalled over a plywood subfloor.

Masters, “PUSH STICK FOR PLUMB AND LINE ADJUSTMENT OF STUD WALLS”, U.S.Pat. No. 4,660,806, issued in 1987, is a more general pushing deviceusing a hydraulic ram, but is not used for flooring.

Powernail Co. Inc, P.O Box 300, Lincolnshire, Ill. 60069, currentlymarkets two models of a flooring jack called a Powerjack™. Both use aratchet mechanism to exert force on flooring. The Powerjack 100 has abent leg which hooks over the edge of the tongue-in-groove flooring anda flat pressor foot moved by a ratchet. The unit rides on the flooringto be moved, while the pressor foot pushes against a stationary objectsuch as a wall or a stud nailed to the subfloor, thus pulling theflooring into place. The Powerjack 200 is designed for glue down and gymfloor installation by pushing from a subfloor anchor point. It has aflat foot which must be attached by nails or screws to the subfloor, anda second foot which can be moved by a ratchet to press against thetongue-in-groove flooring. Both have relatively restricted maximumdistances from their anchor points, and, unless used right next to awall in the case of the model 100, both require some sort of anchorattached to the subfloor.

Various other tools also are known for pushing deck or flooring boardsand the like into parallel contact before nailing the boards to a joist.For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,127 discloses a board press comprisinga dog member dimensioned and configured to grip a joist and a leverattached to one end to the dog member by a ball and socket mounting forpivoting of lever about a pivot axis P—P. The ball and socket mountingenables the pivot axis to be angularly displaced about a point on pivotaxis P—P, thereby permitting the user to pivot the lever perpendicularlyto the edge of a board being pressed, despite twisting of the dog memberon the joist during use. A method of pressing one or more boardsdisposed on a joist includes using the board press and pivoting thelever in a pivot plane, which is kept perpendicular to the edge of theboard, while simultaneously twisting the dog member to seat it upon thejoist.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,494 discloses a deck and soffit board camming orpushing device for pushing boards together. The camming device weighs nomore than four pounds for forcing an unsecured member into contact witha secured member, where the unsecured member may be secured with asupport member. The camming device includes a support plate whichcarries a locking arrangement. The locking arrangement includes a pairof locking lugs and a locking lever. The device also includes a cammingmember having camming surfaces and an operating lever having a handle.The camming member is pivotally secured with the support plate in aneccentric fashion. In operation the support member is positionedadjacent an unsecured member and on one of the support members. The lugsare arranged to extend along opposite sides of the support member. Thelocking lever is rotated in one direction, which locks the support platewith the support member. Now the operating lever is rotated to move thecamming member against the unsecured member, which presses it intoposition adjacent the secured member. Here it is secured in positionwith the support member.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,858, the complete disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference, discloses a carpentry tool for pushingflooring boards into contact on ajoist, which can be operated with onehand, leaving the carpenter's other hand free for hammering. The toolincludes a body member having offset clamping lugs for engaging eachside of a joist. A cam lever pivotally mounted at one end of the bodymember is adapted to force a cam thereon into pushing contact with aflooring board supported by the joist.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,450, the complete disclosure of which is herebyincorporated herein by reference, discloses a flooring tool for theinstallation or repair of wooden tongue and groove flooring. The toolhas a jack for exerting linear force, with a fixed and a movableportion. A pivoting gripper is mounted upon the movable portion, and aguide is mounted upon the fixed portion, which allows a brace such as a2×4 board to be inserted into the guide and gripper and held in place,extending the reach and usefulness of the tool. A foot upon a push-pullrod extends downwards from the fixed portion of the jack, and pushesupon the flooring planks. In a preferred embodiment, two attachmentpoints are provided for the foot on its rod, at each end of the fixedportion, providing maximum flexibility.

U.S. Pat. No. Des. 353,987 discloses a design for a tool for installingwooden planks. The tool functions by placing the ‘F’-shaped bracket,hereinafter referred to as the gripper body, which is pinned to thehandle, over a floor joist or similar structure. The shorter cam member,which is also pinned to the handle, is placed adjacent the board to bepushed or straightened. When the user turns the handle into the board,the joist gripper twists and locks or binds itself to the joist,preventing it from sliding down the joist, and therefore allowing thetranslation of the cam to push the plank. The dimensions and shape ofthe joist gripper directly affect its ability to lock to the joistwithout slipping. A joist gripper with fixed position round shafts orlegs will only lock to a particular joist width, with little tolerancefor variation in joist width permitted. A slightly wider span betweenshafts and the gripper will slide. Too narrow a span will prevent thegripper from fitting over the joist.

The tools of the prior art have various drawbacks. Most require thecarpenter to use both hands to operate the tool, while an assistantnails the boards to the supporting joist. Further, the tool of U.S. Pat.No. 5,269,494 requires the carpenter to rotate a locking lever in orderto engage the tool with a floor joist, before the boards can be pushedinto place. Most are undesirably complex and expensive. A need exists inthe art for a simple, inexpensive tool for the installation of parallelboards, that can be operated with one hand and provides means foradjusting to different size joists or studs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides methods and apparatus for theinstallation of parallel boards, that can be operated with one hand andprovides means for adjusting to different size joists or studs.According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, herein isdisclosed a carpentry tool for the installation of parallel boardsincludes an elongated lever having a rotatable cam pivotally affixedadjacent to a distal end of the lever, a gripper body pivotally affixedat a distal end of the lever, the gripper body having two lugs orbrackets extending downward from the lower end of the gripper body,wherein the gripper body includes a two-piece telescopic section havingan outer tubing member and an inner tubing member in slidableengagement, the inner tubing member including a first lug or bracket ona lower face thereof, the outer tubing member including a second lug orbracket on a lower face thereof, opposing the first bracket, and aspindle extending from an upper face thereof, and a mechanism forreversibly affixing the sliding inner and outer tubing members atpredetermined points. Further disclosed are novel adjustable joistgrippers for use with the apparatus.

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, herein isdisclosed an adjustable joist gripper, including a two-piece telescopicsection having an outer tubing member and an inner tubing member inslidable engagement, the inner tubing member including a first lug orbracket on a lower face thereof, the outer tubing member including asecond lug or bracket on a lower face thereof, opposing said firstbracket, and means for reversibly affixing the sliding inner and outertubing members at predetermined points.

An advantage of the present invention is that it provides a tool forpushing parallel boards together, and is suitable for use with a varietyof differently sized joists or studs.

These and other features and advantages will become readily apparentfrom the following Detailed Description, which should be read inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a prior art device for the installation of parallel boards.

FIG. 2 shows several examples of prior art adjustable gripper devicesfor the installation of parallel boards.

FIG. 3 shows two alternative examples of an adjustable gripper devicefor the installation of parallel boards, according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 4 shows one example of an adjustable gripper device for theinstallation of parallel boards, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a novel tool as a useful and convenientmeans for pushing boards together when building decks or, for example,installing sub-flooring over joists. It can also be used for pushingplywood sheets tightly together, such as for house framing andunderlayments for roofs and for other purposes.

The boards, plywood or other materials, do not necessarily have to be 90degrees to the supporting joist when they are being pushed by this tool.Any divergent angle of overlay over ajoist, stringer or stud can beaccommodated.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, tools for installing parallel boards bypushing them together are known to include an elongated lever (100)having a rotatable cam (50) pivotally affixed adjacent to a distal endof the lever for pushing the parallel boards, and a gripper body (200)having two lugs (300) for gripping a joist or stud, extending downwardfrom the lower end of the gripper body. For example, the lugs (300)straddle a joist (not shown), which provides support to the tool. Thecam (50) is aligned with the board to be pushed and the lever isactuated, pulling on the joist and pushing the board into place.

Construction lumber for framing houses and decks, and a multitude ofother things, generally runs in thickness from 1 7/16″ to 1¾″ thick. Thetwo lugs, when dropped over the thickness section of a joist willaccommodate these common dimensions and others. This is accomplished byvirtue of the separation of the two lugs. If canted at an angle, thelugs are, for example, farther apart and can accommodate wider widths oflumber.

All joists, studs, or similar framing members are not the same width. Itis therefore desirable to have a built-in adjustment feature for thejoist gripper to allow for variations in joist width. Several suchgrippers are known, each including one stationary leg and one leg thatis movable relative thereto. One such gripper includes a movable legslidably attached to the stationary leg, with an adjustment screwpassing through the top of each leg, perpendicular to the legs. Oneproblem associated with this design is complexity in manufacturing andthus cost. A variation of this design replaces the threaded rod or screwwith a locating pin, where the leg may be incrementally adjustable. Thismodel decreases the cost only slightly, and versatility is lost, asinfinitesimal adjustment is gone. Another far simpler design involvesthe use of a fixed leg attached to a round pipe. The adjustable leg istypically of a pipe-clamp tail-stop, which has a spring-activatedlocking mechanism. However, due to the nature of the pushing androtational forces acting on the tail-stop, slipping can occur. Pipeclamps utilize round tubing; they are designed to withstand loadsparallel to the pipe, not rotational loads, hence the slippagepotential.

Adjustable Gripper Examples

Two new adjustable joist grippers are herein disclosed. One embodimentis similar to the common pipe clamp described above. However, thisembodiment includes means for resisting rotation of the tail-stop, whichis what leads to the slippage. This is accomplished by altering theshape of the pipe. For example, a square tube or other non-round pipe orsimilar member would not permit rotation of an object that is slidablyattached, assuming the fit between the two is close enough.

Another embodiment includes a fixed leg rigidly attached to a square orother shaped member. A second leg is slidably attached to the squaremember. The slidable leg is not permitted to twist. The adjustment forjoist width is accomplished by pinning the slidable leg assembly at thedesired location. Note that such means for attaching only allows forincremental adjustment. To overcome this problem, the shape of the legsis altered from the round shape to allow for greater width variation ateach adjustment location, to achieve a sufficient lock on the joist. Ina preferred embodiment, the slidable leg is a wide surface runningdominantly parallel to the joist or other shape producing similar width.The wide leg allows for a wider variation in joist width to achieve alocking affect at any given pinned adjustment location. The fixed leg ofthe preferred embodiment is similarly shaped. An alternate shape ofeither leg or both legs would have a cutout or void near the upperportion of the leg adjacent the attached member to allow for use over anunder deck fastening track (such as, for example products known asDeckmaster or Shadoetrack). In the preferred embodiment, the slidableleg is a piece of angle whose lengthwise axis extends downward from theengaged member. This shape gives the same effective face width parallelto the joist, along with the strength or stiffness of a larger square orother similar shape, without the bulk or weight. The fixed leg of thepreferred embodiment is constructed of a round or similar leg extendingaxially down from the attached member. A flat plate is rigidly fixed tothe bottom end of this leg and extends toward the joist with the forwardprotruding edge running parallel to the joist. This design creates thevoid to allow for use with the underdeck fastening tracks describedabove. The adjustable leg of the preferred embodiment is shorter thanthe fixed leg of the preferred embodiment which allows for quickerapplication over joists with the underdeck fastening tracks withoutreadjusting slidable leg. Means of attaching the new adjustable gripperto the deck tool handle includes a similar pin connection.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, various embodiments of an adjustablejoist gripper in accordance with the invention are shown. A preferredembodiment (FIG. 4) includes a two-piece telescopic section having anouter tubing member (500) and an inner tubing member (400) in slidableengagement, the inner tubing member including a first lug or bracket(600) on a lower face thereof, the outer tubing member including asecond lug or bracket (600) on a lower face thereof, opposing said firstbracket, and means for reversibly affixing the sliding inner and outertubing members at predetermined points (pin, 700). The adjustablegripper further includes a pivot means (120) for attachment to a tool.

Accordingly, it is to be understood that the embodiments of theinvention herein described are merely illustrative of the application ofthe principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of theillustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of theclaims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential tothe invention.

1. An adjustable joist gripper, comprising: a two-piece telescopicsection having an outer tubing member and an inner tubing member inslidable engagement; said inner tubing member comprising a first lug orbracket on a lower face thereof; said outer tubing member comprising asecond lug or bracket on a lower face thereof, opposing said firstbracket; and means for reversibly affixing said sliding inner and outertubing members at predetermined points.
 2. The adjustable joist gripperof claim 1, wherein said outer tubing member further comprises a spindleextending from an upper face thereof.
 3. The adjustable joist gripper ofclaim 1, wherein said outer tubing member further comprises a tubularmember extending from a face thereof.
 4. The adjustable joist gripper ofclaim 1, wherein one or more of said lugs or brackets comprises a widesurface running substantially parallel to a joist or other structuregripped.
 5. The adjustable joist gripper of claim 1, wherein one or moreof said lugs or brackets comprises a cutout or void near an upperportion of said lug.
 6. The adjustable joist gripper of claim 1, whereinone or more of said lugs or brackets comprises an angle bracket.
 7. Theadjustable joist gripper of claim 1, wherein one or more of said lugs orbrackets comprises a round or similar leg extending axially down, and aflat plate is rigidly fixed to the bottom end of this leg.
 8. Theadjustable joist gripper of claim 1, wherein one of said lugs orbrackets is shorter than the other.
 9. A carpentry tool for theinstallation of parallel boards, comprising: an elongated lever having arotatable cam pivotally affixed adjacent to a distal end of the lever; agripper body pivotally affixed at a distal end of the lever, saidgripper body having two lugs or brackets extending downward from thelower end of the gripper body; wherein said gripper body comprises atwo-piece telescopic section having an outer tubing member and an innertubing member in slidable engagement; said inner tubing membercomprising a first lug or bracket on a lower face thereof; said outertubing member comprising a second lug or bracket on a lower facethereof, opposing said first bracket, and a spindle extending from anupper face thereof; and means for reversibly affixing said sliding innerand outer tubing members at predetermined points.
 10. The adjustablejoist gripper of claim 9, wherein said outer tubing member furthercomprises a tubular member extending from a face thereof.
 11. Theadjustable joist gripper of claim 9, wherein one or more of said lugs orbrackets comprises a wide surface running substantially parallel to ajoist or other structure gripped.
 12. The adjustable joist gripper ofclaim 9, wherein one or more of said lugs or brackets comprises a cutoutor void near an upper portion of said lug.
 13. The adjustable joistgripper of claim 9, wherein one or more of said lugs or bracketscomprises an angle bracket.
 14. The adjustable joist gripper of claim 9,wherein one or more of said lugs or brackets comprises a round orsimilar leg extending axially down, and a flat plate is rigidly fixed tothe bottom end of this leg.
 15. The adjustable joist gripper of claim 9,wherein one of said lugs or brackets adjustable leg shorter than theother.